


every hidden corner of the world

by AppleJuice (capolleon), partlycharlie



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: F/M, Implied Nico di Angelo/Will Solace, M/M, Minor Calypso/Leo Valdez, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-The Blood of Olympus, Pre-The Trials of Apollo, ignore TOA, relatively serious compared to anything else ive written
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-03
Updated: 2017-05-19
Packaged: 2018-08-16 19:15:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,962
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8114230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/capolleon/pseuds/AppleJuice, https://archiveofourown.org/users/partlycharlie/pseuds/partlycharlie
Summary: “What about him?” Jason can feel his stomach turn.Nico says it.“Leo. He’s alive.”   [currently on hiatus until further notice]





	1. Prologue// JASON

**Author's Note:**

> *frowns* this fic has relatively shorter chapters, each averaging around 1000-ish words maybe? nothing concrete, but there's a very loose plan that can be spread through at least (hopefully) 12 chapters
> 
> you can completely ignore TOA, but it's kind of obvious about around what time period this is.
> 
> ( ~~hopefully updates every 3rd of the month~~ on hiatus for the time being)

“Do you regret not going with them?” Nico had asked.

Jason’s smile was twisted. “A little. But I’ll be going back and forth between the camps a lot. I have some shrines to build.”

“I heard. The Senate plans to elect you _pontifex maximus_.”

Jason shrugged. “I don’t care about the title so much. I _do_ care about making sure the gods are remembered. I don’t want them just fighting out of jealousy anymore, or taking out their frustrations on demigods.”

“They’re gods,” Nico had said. “That’s their nature.”

“Maybe, but I can at least try to make it better. I guess Leo would say I’m acting like a mechanic, you know- doing preventive maintenance.”

Nico looks at him. "You know, you couldn’t have stopped Leo. There’s nothing you could have done differently. He knew what had to happen.”

“I-I guess. I don’t suppose you can tell if he’s still-”

“He’s gone.” Nico had said, quick to squash any hope Jason had. “I’m sorry. I wish I could tell you otherwise, but I _sensed_ his death.”

Jason glared at his sneakers.

He had hoped Nico might’ve given him _something_. Anything, really. Just something to keep the final flickering flame of hope in Jason’s chest. But Nico had looked away, not ready to talk about it again.

Jason sighed, and watched as the Romans began to pack up their stuff for the ride back to California.

* * *

 

“I’m afraid to tell you this after just one kiss,” Piper says. “But gods of Olympus, I love you.”

“Love you too, Pipes.”

Piper is silent after that, and Jason knew what she was thinking about. He’s thinking about it too, after all.

“Hey,” he says. “Leo is okay.”

“How can you believe that? He didn’t get the cure. Nico _said_ he died.”

“You once woke up a dragon with just your voice,” Jason reminds her, trying not to let the pride sink through. “You _believed_ the dragon should be alive, right?”

“Yes, but-”

“We have to believe in Leo. There is no way he would die so easily. He’s a tough guy.” Jason is surprised that Piper was thinking otherwise. They should have faith in their friend- believe that he’s okay.

“Right,” Piper says, but she doesn’t so sure. “So we believe. Leo _has_ to be alive.”

Jason smiles. “You remember that time in Detroit when he flattened Ma Gasket with a car engine?”

Piper plays along. “Or those dwarfs in Bologna. Leo took them down with a homemade smoke grenade made from toothpaste.”

“Commander Tool Belt,” Jason says.

“Bad Boy Supreme,” Piper replies, choking on a laugh.

“Chef Leo the Tofu Taco Expert.”

“Super-sized McShizzle-”

 _"Jason! Piper!”_ Jason glances down towards the trapdoor on the roof of his cabin. Nico and Hazel stand there, looking extremely worried.

“Come down here!” Nico is saying, and Jason looks at Piper.

Piper gives him a soft smile and looks back up at the stars. “Go.”

Jason slides down the ladder with precision, and he looks across the frustration on the other demigods faces. Nico looks pissed, and Hazel just looks desperate. “What’s wrong?”

Hazel’s the one to speak, and it comes out in a rushed breath. “It’s Leo.”

“What about him?” Jason can feel his stomach turn.

Nico says it.

“He’s alive.”


	2. JASON

Jason feels cold. It's the middle of summer, and there's no wind coming in.

Percy yawns from one of the empty bunks. “What are we here for again?”

“Valdez,” Nico says, and suddenly Percy is a lot more awake than how he was a few minutes ago.

Nico’s pacing around the Hades cabin, and it's making Jason even more nervous than he already was. Piper has her knees tucked into herself, hugging herself and keeping a bit of distance between her and everyone else. Frank is halfway asleep, but he bolts upwards at an elbow in the stomach from Annabeth.

Jason would say something about it, but he’s in too much shock.

Leo’s alive.

Leo’s alive and he’s _out there,_ where he’s far away from where he belongs- with them, obviously.

Hazel bursts into the cabin with two Hephaestus kids in tow. Nyssa looks ready to strangle someone, and Jake has a deep frown on his face but otherwise seems pretty calm. A seemingly frazzled Will walks in slowly, pushing the door shut behind him.

“Is it true?” Nyssa asks, pushing on Jake’s wheelchair. “Is he-”

“Yes,” Nico says through clenched teeth, glance towards the door with narrowed eyes. “Someone close the window curtains.”

Will follows through with his command, and Nico finally stops pacing once he’s standing in the middle of the room. When Will is done, Nico takes a shaky breath and drops his face into his hands.

A tense few seconds pass. Nico lifts his head up and makes eye contact with Jason. “Grace. Remember when I said I sensed his death?”

“Yes?”

“Well,” Nico swallows heavily. “I lied. I wasn’t entirely sure Leo was gone.”

Jason’s throat feels too dry for him to say anything, so Piper speaks for him. “Are you saying he’s alive? Where is he?”

“I… don’t know.” Nico sighs, and Piper rears back a little.

Annabeth raises an eyebrow. “But you’re sure he’s alive? It wouldn’t be good if this was to get out, and raise hope.”

Nyssa huffs. “Is he alive or not?”

“He is,” Nico frowns. “At least I _think_ he is. Leo’s death wasn’t- well, it wasn't exactly normal.”

Jason's eyebrows scrunch up. “What do you mean?” Percy asks after a moment.

Nico looks over towards Hazel, who urges him on with a nod and a soft smile. “I mean- okay, so I felt his soul start to descend to the Underworld. And then it just. Stopped? I assumed it was nothing because, you know, death is _death_.”

The cabin was silent for a minute as everyone tried to understand what Nico was saying.

“ _However_ ,” Nico continues. “I IM'd my father. And he said something… strange.”

“What?” Jason’s body finally allowed his voice to go through. “What’d he said?”

Nico closes his eyes. “He said, _Leo Valdez did not technically die and come to the Underworld_.”

“ _Technically_?” Jake asks, mixed feelings on his face.

Nico opens his eyes. “Leo Valdez cheated death. The cure worked. He just can’t be found.”

It's like everybody realizes what actually happened immediately after Nico’s last words. Annabeth's eyes widen and Piper lets out a desperate noise. Percy and Frank look concerned. Jason doesn’t want to look at Nyssa and Jake- no, he _can’t_. He can’t stand to see the look of despair and hopelessness probably on their faces. He bets his face looks the same. 

Nyssa is the first one to speak, and voice cuts through the air like a knife. "How do we find him? Can we find him?”

Nico glances at Hazel, who gives him a small nod of confirmation.

“There are two ways. Apollo,” Nico looks over to Will, before swinging his gaze back towards the ground, “or my father. Based on what I’ve heard about Leo so far, I have a theory of where he is, but that would mean Apollo would be of no help. My father though…”

Annabeth looks like she has something on her mind. “How can Hades help find Leo?”

“He has this... object,” Nico says hesitantly. “An orb that can find anyone, dead or alive, _anywhere_.” The way he stresses _anywhere_  makes Jason’s breath hitch. This is it. They're going to find Leo.

“Anywhere?” Annabeth bites her lip. “Even-”

“Yes.” Nico interrupts her- he obviously knows what she's about to say, even if the rest of the room has no idea. “It’s a quest. Three people only.”

“Why only three?” Frank pipes up, and Jason is surprised. He knew that Frank and Leo had a pretty close friendship (after the awkward "you had a crush on my girlfriend" period), but he hadn't realized that Frank cared that much. 

Nico shrugs. “It’s safer that way. You’d have to travel to the Underworld and get the orb- there’s an entrance in Central Park. Then from there, you’d have to use the orb to find coordinates to find Leo. I can’t say how long that might take. That is, _if_ he’s alive.”

“I’ll go.” Jason’s quick to say, and Nico nods like he didn’t expect any different.

Nobody really did.

Piper steps forward. “I can go-”

“You have a cabin to look over,” Nico’s quick to say. He looks towards Nyssa and Jake. “You guys too.”

“Yeah but-”

“Piper,” Jason interrupts this time, and gives her a meaningful look. “I promise, I will try my hardest to bring Leo back. I swear on the-”

“I wouldn’t.” Annabeth’s tongue is sharp, and Jason is startled. “If I remember correctly, that might’ve been the reason why Leo isn’t here.”

A shiver spreads down everyone’s backs.

“I’ll do it.” Percy stands up, and stretches, letting his shirt ride up. Nico looks like he wants to say something, but he holds his tongue. Eyes go towards to Annabeth, who shrugs.

“Seaweed Brain is loyal to a fault, and just as stubborn. I can’t stop him from going, especially if he’s trying to save a friend. But I _will_ kill him if he ends up killing everyone.”

Nico nods. “Anyone else?”

“You should come.” Jason says. “After all, you know the most about this. And if we get hurt, then you can shadow travel us back.”

“I can’t,” Nico looks annoyed. “I have something important to do.”

“What can be more important than _this_?” Nyssa’s voice cracks at the end.

Nico looks at her apologetically. “No. It’s related to this. I just have to do it on my own.”

Will steps forward. “I can do it. My medical help might be helpful for when we find him.”

Jason likes that he says _when_ and not _if_.

“ _No._ ” Nico’s answer is short, and filled with command.

“I have to-”

“ _No_. We’ll find someone else.”

“ _Nico,_  by the gods-.”

“No.”

Annabeth interrupts the arguing duo. “It’s getting late. I'm going to go tell Chiron what we know- can we finish talking about this in the morning, please?"

The group of ten reluctantly heads to their own cabins. Jason can still hear Will and Nico arguing over Will’s volunteering.

Jason’s cabin has always felt empty, but now it seems to be even more lonelier. Jason wonders if maybe Leo is feeling lonely, wherever he is. He hopes Leo’s okay.

Leo’s alive, and he’s okay.

If Jason believes it, then it has to be true.


	3. JASON

Jason wakes up to someone shaking him. When he begrudgingly opens his eyes, Jason is surprised when he sees his own face.

His glasses get pressed against the curve of his nose, and Jason realizes it’s Will.

“Are you up, Jason?” Will whispers, even though the cabin is quiet.

Jason sits up, and rubs his eyes. The events of last night flood over him, and he chokes slightly. “Leo’s-”

“Yeah,” Comes Will’s rushed answer. “Just get dressed and pack a bag. Hurry up, before the harpies stop caring that Chiron told them not to eat us.”

It takes Jason only five minutes to be fully dressed in a Camp Half-Blood shirt and a pair of jeans, with a backpack filled with enough clothes for a week- he's vaguely hopeful that it won't take much longer. He slips a few drachmas in his pocket, and a picture of Leo, Piper and himself. It was taken at Wilderness, and even though it was fake, Jason still treasured it.

Jason looks up from the picture. “Ready.” he murmurs, and Will pulls him out and across the courtyard. They reach the outskirts of the camp, near the strawberry fields. There waiting, was Percy and a van. Percy pushes off the van and yawns.

“About time! You had me and Argus waiting _forever_.” Percy complains, and he pulls open one of the doors.

Will rolls his eyes. "Argus and I, Percy." 

Jason settles in the back with Percy, while Will sits in the front and starts giving directions to Argus. One of Argus’ blue eyes on the back of his neck blinks- winks?- at Jason.

“There’s too many blue-eyed blonds on this van, I don't need any of them reminding me of my girlfriend.” Percy is rambling- is he nervous? “Bagel?”

Jason accepts the bagel gratefully with a smile and a nod. Will had woken them up before dawn, way before they really needed to leave. Jason stares out the window at the sunrise- it's pretty, a collection of reds and yellows and pinks beginning to covering the sky. Can Leo see the sunrise too, from where he is? Maybe he's watching the sunset, instead.

The bagel settles in Jason’s stomach like a rock, and he ignores the urge to throw up.

“Hey,” Percy pats Jason’s shoulder. “We’ll find Leo.”

“I know. It’s just-” Jason hesitates. “I had this dream. About Leo.” At least until Will woke him up.

“And what happened?” Percy turns to look at Jason.

“It was weird.” Jason frowns, looking into his lap. “He was with this girl- I don't think he said her name, so I couldn't catch it. They were laughing and talking; I think they were in Paris. The Louvre, maybe.”

“The what?” Percy asks, face filled with confusion.

“The _Louvre_. It’s a museum in Paris, Percy.” Will answers, looking in the rear view mirror to see the backseat. “What else happened in your dream?”

“Uh, they were laughing, and they had bags like they just came back from a shopping spree after a huge sale.” Jason shrugs. “Nothing else.”

Argus grunts, signaling them nearing one of the entrances to Central Park. His eyes momentarily close, before opening once again.

Percy’s practically attached to the window. “Oh man, oh man, I want a pretzel. _Really_ badly.”

“You can have my bagel if you’re so hungry.” Will comments, flashing a bright grin.

Percy rolls his eyes. “I already ate it. I still want a _pretzel_.”

While Will sputters over his bagel that Percy had already eaten, Argus pulls next to the gate. The teens slide out, waving good bye to the friendly monster. Argus promised to tell the Camp that _no-_ they weren’t kidnapped, and _yes_ \- they went on the quest by themselves.

“The exit should be somewhere over here.” Percy stares at a few rocks suspiciously. “I think we’re here. But to open it, we need music.”

Jason and Percy’s eyes fly towards Will, who shrugs. He slides his hand into one of his pockets, pulling out flute pieces.

“Why do you have a flute in your pocket?” Percy gapes, as Will pieces the flute together.

Will rolls his eyes. “It’s like one of dad’s many rules. _All his awesome children must play instruments, and carry one around._ Besides, Nico told me about it.”

“I thought he didn’t want you to come here.” Percy says, surprised.

Will gives a tight-lipped smile, and brings the flute towards his lips. “He doesn’t.”

Before either Jason or Percy can say something, Will starts to play a tune. It’s soft at first- Jason could hardly recognize it until Will gets louder.

“Is that Beethoven?” Jason furrows his brows, and Percy shrugs.

“I think so.”

The blond plays peacefully, and it’s like the birds stop chirping just to hear the song.

“Are you done?” Percy asks impatiently, as Will plays his final note.

Will gives a lopsided grin. “What? Don’t like the classics?”

“Well, I thought you did great,” Jason says smiling, as Percy drops to his hands and knees. “What are you doing?”

“These are the doors of Oreo-”

“ _Orpheus_.” Will corrected.

“-and it’s just a tunnel. Me, Neeks and Grover had to crawl through it so I could jump in that river.” Percy mumbled, feeling around the area. “It’s kinda small to squeeze through though- whoop, here we go.”

Percy moves to the side, and Jason can see a long and deep tunnel, with just enough space to crawl through comfortably.

“Ladies first,” Percy kindly gestured for Jason to go first.

Jason gave a smile back. “Then you should go, Percy. I insist.”

Will rolls his eyes. “I’ll go first. Hades would least likely kill an Apollo kid than a Poseidon or Zeus kid.”

Oh, _yeah_.

Jason and Percy glance at each other sheepishly. A Zeus _or_ Poseidon kid don’t stand much of a chance in the Underworld. But Percy’s been there a few times, hasn’t he? Jason gave one lasting look towards the green eyed male, before crawling into the hole.

The first thing Jason notices, is how dark it is. Jason has to keep a hand near Will’s ankles to avoid losing him in the darkness. He can hear Percy making idle chatter behind him, as the whole magically closes back up. The trio are momentarily shrouded in darkness, before Jason can hear tiny crackling noises, and there is a dim light. He looks behind him to see Percy covered with glow-in-the-dark bracelets and necklaces.

“Pass these up.”

Jason dutifully reaches to hand Will some of the silly jewelry, and puts some on himself. His neck glows blue, while his wrists illuminate the floor with a rainbow of colors. Jason opts to hold a stick in his mouth to see in front of him.

They crawl in muted silence for what seems to be ages, until Will stops. Jason ends up stopping a little too soon, and Percy’s face collides with his butt.

Jason spits out the glow stick. “ _Percy!_ ” He hisses.

“ _Whoah_.” Percy coughs. “That was something that I have _never_ wanted to do. I think I’ll just leave and go to the Elysium now, guys. Thanks for the trip, goodbye.”

Will snickers a bit, before stopping. “We’re here.” He crawls out and- _whoah_.

Jason has never seen the Underworld before, and if this is what he is supposed to be looking forward to, he wishes he could be immortal.

The Underworld needs a serious interior decorator.

* * *

“I _said_ , that painting goes in the _screen_ room. Not the _scream_ room.”

Persephone is definitely beautiful. She has long black hair, and blue eyes like the sky, and her dress was a million different colors. It didn’t help that the rest of the room was elegant as she was, but drab and dark in comparison. Glass and mirrors filters through the room, and the chandelier above twinkles like a million gems.

Persephone raises a hand to dismiss the zombie servant and rolls her eyes. “It’s annoying isn’t it? Having people not hear what you’re trying to say?” Her eyes dart from Percy, to Jason, to finally settle on Will.

“Persephone- we need your help. We have to talk to Hades-”

“William Solace, I presume? I’ve heard a bit about you,” Persephone’s lips smile delicately in a kind way, making Jason remember that she _is_ a child of spring. “Nico tends to rant, you know.”

Will turns a bit pink, whether from the usage of his full name or from her other words. “All g-good, I hope?”

Persephone just smiles, and turns her attention to Jason. “As you were saying, cousin?”

Jason swallows. “We have to talk to Hades. Nico’s told us of an orb that can find anyone, dead or alive, _anywhere_.”

Her smile slides off her face, and she shifts in her throne. Her hand curls against the marble of her armrests. “I know what you speak of. Care telling who you are searching for?”

“Leo. Leo Valdez. He was one of the Seven and he-”

“You can’t find him.”

Persephone’s words cut in with a chill, and besides Jason, Percy makes a step forward. His hands are curled around a pen, and Jason shoots him a warning look, and Percy relaxes but speaks up.

“Why can’t we find Leo? He’s our friend, and he needs us!”

Persephone smiles again, but this time it’s apologetic. “I’m sorry. If you really do believe you need the Orb of Mercury, then I would gladly help you get it, but I can not promise results.”

“The Orb of Mercury?” Will frowns. “As in Ares?”

“Hermes.” Jason and Percy correct at the same time, before giving each other an awkward once-over.

Persephone laughs lightly. “Ah, yes, cousin. He _is_ the god of travels and a guide to the Underworld. He, along with Athena- those two were always _so_ close- created an orb to help him find anyone he needed. I _do_ wish he would visit a bit more- he’s one of the few immortals who can enter the Underworld freely.”

As if sensing Persephone’s sadness, a dozen skeletons stumbled into the room, tripping over each other with every step.

“Are you alright, my Queen?” one of them asked, a chef’s hat placed cautiously on his skull. It was a bit comical, seeing all of the skeletons wearing things like police badges, gardening gloves and fanny packs.

“It’s nothing,” Persephone wipes at her misty eyes. “Go on and fix up a room for these demigods. They might end up staying for a night or two. And send Jeremy to find the Orb of Mercury- it should be _somewhere_ in the trophy room!”

Jason blinks, glancing out the dark windows. It was impossible to tell what time of day it was, whether day or night, but Persephone seemed to have some sense of it.

“I can’t give you any food here, but I can have one of them order you a pizza. Achilles Killer Slices had some of the best pizza for _eons_.” Persephone tells the males, and they nod hesitantly. They all knew the story of Persephone and Hades, and none of them wanted to end up staying in the Underworld for a few months due to misplaced hunger. (And pizza is good too).

Speaking of- “Where _is_ Hades?” Percy asks.

“Golfing with Thanatos, I believe. It’s _so_ boring.” Persephone whines and it’s strikingly familiar to the whines of a teenage girl. “I tell Hades that I wanted to have a nice romantic night in, and you know what he says? He has to do a father-son bonding moment with Thanatos. I am his _wife,_ I’m supposed to be his first priority!”

“Oh,” Percy says awkwardly. “That sounds like it sucks.”

Persephone rubs a tired hand over her face. “You have no idea! It’s always _Thanatos_ this, and _Nico_ that, and he’s never paying attention to me! I’m here for only half of the year, you would think he would _try_ to spend all his time with me.”

Jason averts his eyes. It kind of reminds him of Leo. Leo was on that boat with Jason for weeks and _weeks_ but Jason hadn’t really spent too much time with him. Weren’t they supposed to be best friends?

He clenched his hands. Best friends or not, as soon as he found Leo, Jason was going to make up for all the lost time.

Meanwhile, Percy is surprisingly comforting to the slowly depressing goddess. Will, on the other hand, looks to be a confusing mixture of curiosity and fear. The blond looked to be shaking in his socks yet looking for something.

Jason’s eyes fall down to his watch, which seems to have stopped at 12:58. He knows of the distortion that the Underworld had, and desperately wanted to find the time.

How long until he could find his best friend?


	4. JASON

“Well this is cozy.”

Jason glares at Percy, his cheeks a bit pink. “Please, Percy. Shut up.”

Percy bounces on the fluffy bed. “What, don’t like the pink?”

Will snorts, and continues fiddling with his… something.

The room they were placed in was actually probably meant for Hazel (or Bianca, Percy hesitantly added earlier). Hazel or not, it seemed like the owner had never actually _been_ in the girlish room, and was probably expected to room when they were a toddler.

Jason winces as his knee bumps into the gigantic dollhouse on the floor. Even though the doll home was probably never used, it’s in pretty good condition. Jason tries to imagine a tiny Hazel, or even a tiny Thalia playing with the depressing dolls nearby, and it’s easily one of the most freakiest pictures he has ever made up.

His bag clatters next to the small table that looks to be ready for a fancy tea party. The plates look to be made out of pure silver and encrusted with real jewels.

“Hades is the god of wealth and metals.”

“Yeah,” Percy’s now snooping through the chest at the foot of the bed. “And guess what I just found?”

He stood up, and drachmas poured through his fingers and made tiny clinking noises back into its proper place. There’s a pearl necklace that made itself a home around Percy’s neck, right next to the Camp Half-Blood one.

Will gives Percy a look. “Really? You’re going to steal from _Hades?_ ”

Percy shrugs. “It’s not the first time I stole from a god. And besides, I think this is more Hazel’s than his.”

“Or Bianca.” Jason reminds him, not quite really sure who she was. Jason did know that something happened between Nico, Percy and Bianca though.

Percy’s hand tightens into a fist, and he absentmindedly taps his pocket where Riptide sat. “Yeah. I’m gonna… take a walk. Enjoy the view a bit.”

Jason frowns, when the door closes behind Percy. Will’s staring out the window near the small fountain again, leaving Jason with nothing but silence. He collapses on the child sized bed, ignoring the creaks and how half his body sticks out, and glares into the pillow.

It’s been what could have been two days in the Underworld, and they were still no closer to finding Leo. For all Jason knows, the poor boy could be only a short distance away, waiting in the Elysium for Jason.

“What the hell is wrong with you, Will!?” Jason winces at the yell that sounds too familiar.

“Relax, Nico. I’m going to be fine. And now that you know where I am, you can always check on me via shadow travel.”

Jason darts up, and squints at the Iris Message that the other blond seems to be arguing with. Gods, he needs new glasses.

“Is that Jason? I’m going to pretend that’s not Grace.”

Will winces. “It’s not like I _couldn’t_ bring him!”

“You weren’t supposed to go at all- where are you right now?”

At this point, Jason’s already behind Will now, looking through the slightly grainy image of Nico. He looks to be stressed, and sitting in the middle of his dim cabin. From the dimmed light beaming from the heavily draped windows, it seemed to be at least late in the morning. The bags under Nico’s eyes seem more prominent than it did from when Jason had last seen him.

“Hazel’s room,” Will runs a hand through his hair, and it just occurred to Jason that he was clutching his bag to his chest. “Unless Hades is into some messed up things.”

Nico frowns. “I didn’t know that she had a room. Anyway, who’s the third member of your trio? And please tell me that it’s at least _one_ smart blond on this fake quest.”

“Fake?” Jason says at the same time as Will’s, “Percy.”

Nico glares at the two. “I can’t believe this.”

Jason spoke up before Will could say much else. “Persephone promised us the Orb. We’re really close to finding Leo. After we get him, you can beat us up all you want.”

“Zombies, Grace. Expect zombies. With swords.” Nico says dryly, wiping at his tired eyes. Ironically, the kid looked to be Death himself.

“I think I’ll be ready for it.” With a snort and a look that read, _We’ll talk about this later_ ’, Nico waves the image away.

The door to the bedroom opens slowly. There’s a shivering skeleton wearing a giant winter coat, and matching neon green scarf, gloves, and earmuffs. Jason isn’t sure why he needed boots to cover his boney feet. On the black coat, there’s a name tag that said _Hi! I’m JEREMY_.

Jeremy tilts his head and sticks out a gloved hand. The black box in his hand is about the size of a bowling ball, but looks a lot lighter than a bowling ball. He makes this weird gurgling noise that sounds like, “errrraGGHH.”

“Is this for us?” Will asks Jeremy. He growls back- Jason doesn’t want to know how he _knows_ that growl is an affirmative yes. It must be hard to speak without vocal cords. Or without anything but bones and clothes.

Jason slips the box in his arms, and he’s surprised by how light it is. He’s pretty sure he’s felt babies heavier than this, not that he touches babies regularly. Jeremy nods his head- skull- and walks off with heavy boots.

The box is a soft black velvet with the initials O.R.B.O.F.M.E.R.C.U.R.Y. on it. The Orb of Mercury. Jason lifts off the cover, and inside there’s nothing but black nothingness.

“It’s empty?” Will frowns and reaches inside. When his entire arms gets swallowed up, his face scrunches up, and he yanks back. In Will’s hands, he cradles a tiny glass ball that looks like a bubble. There’s a tiny note taped to the ball.

“ _Dear Hades,_ ” Jason reads. “ _IOU, Apollo.”_

There’s another note from Apollo.

_Shake it for good luck_

_Then whisper the name of them_

_I am beautiful_

“Gee, _thanks_ Dad.” Will rolls his eyes, and slipped the ball back into the box. “I think we should probably wait a bit. Wait until we get to the surface. I think this much magic might attract something- or someone.”

“Alright.” Jason runs his fingers over the box’s exterior. He wanted to rip the box open and find Leo right now, but Will’s eyes made him stop. “Do you think we’ll be able to find him?”

Will sighs. “Listen, Jason, I don’t know Leo as much as you do, but I want him to come home too. I think this could be it- it would be nice to see the Hephaestus Cabin relax, and for this dark cloud to be gone from Camp.”

Jason nods. “I just hope it’s not too late.”


	5. LEO

The crevices in between Festus’ metal workings are warm enough to make Leo want to be lulled to sleep. Behind him, Calypso’s face is pressed into his shoulder as she sleeps soundly. Her arms hang loosely around his waist.

“How’re we doing, buddy?” Leo’s hands stroke the golden dragon’s neck.

Festus clicks back and shakes unsteadily. Above them, the moon shines over lighting up the dark waters below them. It’s a clear and cool night, the tides drifting quietly.

“Thought so.” Leo frowns, his hands shuffling through his tool belt for a screwdriver. He would normally use a power drill but it had taken hours for Calypso to fall asleep. So far it had been a rough trip.

His screwdriver digs into a tiny nook, fiddling with a hidden screw. Festus creaks and Leo snorts. “What do you mean there’s something wrong with the GPS?”

Leo slides back carefully, poking at the tiny screen at the junction where Festus’s neck connects with his body. He had placed the screen there to watch some movies with his girlfriend- which felt extremely weird to say- but had ultimately ended up using Google Maps to direct him around the world.

Unfortunately, Ogygia didn’t seem to have any Internet providers. Which kind of made him worry about how Calypso lived without watching _Friends_ or _Dr. Who_. There was no such thing- no one could live without watching TV or Googling random stuff in the middle of the night.

Leo curses, tapping the screen. The connection had been going in and out every so often, changing the direction and location to one completely different than the one intended.

And no, Leo did not want to see whatever the heck was in Kolobrzeg, Poland.

“What’s going on?” Leo turns his head to Calypso who is wiping at her eyes.

Leo fiddles with the monitor. “Nothin much, babe. Go back to sleep.”

“And wake up to find us in Chima? No thanks.”

“It’s _China._ ”

Calypso looks wide-awake now. Her caramel eyes look over Leo’s shoulder to see what he’s doing. “Where are we?”

Leo stares at her. “You mean you _can’t_ tell that we’re in the middle of the ocean?”

Calypso hits his arm in a very familiar way. It’s a Piper move. It doesn’t hurt, but it still stings. “You know what I mean, you idiot.”

“But you love me,” Leo playfully reminds her, before turning back to his display. “We’re somewhere in the Ionian Sea. Sound familiar?”

Leo had been teaching her some stuff about the current world, so she wouldn’t be a complete stranger to the world. Geography wasn’t as important, but then again, a lot of places change in over a couple of centuries.

Calypso closes her eyes and rests her head on his shoulder again. “Near Greece again?”

“Very good!” Leo applauds her and looks behind him. He can only really see her hair drifting in the night. “And do you remember where we’re going?”

“The place with the pasta, and the Romans. Italy?”

Leo rubs one of the hands around his waist. “Yep. I think you might love it there. Then we can go to Spain or France, or even England. Travel, just like you want to.”

Calypso sniffs, and Festus groans.

Somewhere in between the sounds of the waves and the wind whistling by softly, Calypso falls asleep again. Leo leans forward, pressing his face into the warm neck of Festus.

He wonders what his friends are doing right now.

And if they’re missing him.

* * *

“Wake Up!”

Leo bolts up and smashes his head into Calypso’s. “ _Ow!_ ”

Calypso rubs her forehead, with an irritant look on her face. “I knew you had a thick head, but I didn’t think it was actually this hard.”

“That’s what she said?” Leo offers, and Calypso shoots him a questioning look. Right. Goddess who wasn’t entirely up to speed.

Calypso stands up, pulling Leo up with her. “So,” she dusts off her jeans. “Where are we?”

Leo blinks around, staring at the sand at his feet and the boats docked towards the water. “A dock. Where’s Festus?”

Calypso makes a big gesture with her hands. “I think he wanted to cool off or something. Can he sleep?”

“No,” Leo pauses. “Well, actually I’m not sure.” He claps his hands together, rubbing them as he peers around the beach. “I guess we can look around and ask about where we are.”

“Lead the way.”

They end up walking along the boardwalk and into the streets, asking around for where they were. No one really knew English in Italy, except for the various vendors whose English was nothing to brag about. To make it worse, everything's moving  _so_  slow. It's like everyone in Italy are secretly sloths whose only existence was to make Leo's life terrible. Even the joggers who passed by seemed to be walking in slow motion.

“We’re in Gallipoli, friend! Much sights, and much food!” The smiling portly man drags on, draping beaded necklaces over the two’s necks. A tiny cross drops into Calypso’s shirt, delving in between her breasts. She frowns.

“Who is that woman?” Calypso nudges Leo and nods towards the large statue on the man’s cart.

Leo doesn’t bat an eye as he grins at the man. “How much,” he rubs his finger together to show the universal sign for money, “for the bread?”

The man nods slowly happily and gestures to the bread. “Ah, _focaccia_? Are 10 Euros! Big deal!”

Leo wags a finger at him.  At his side, Calypso’s staring at the Virgin Mary statue with about as much interest as one can have. “You’re not ripping me off, are you? This better be some quality _pan,_  buster.”

“Quality, yes! On sale from Ferragosto! Everything is cheap.” The man’s already wrapping a few pieces up as if he’s already decided that Leo was definitely going to buy.

Which he was- Italian food happened to be amazing, and this guy looked local and his food smelled _delicious_. He steers Calypso away from the cart, into the less busy side of the _piazza_ , where they could stand and watch as Italians crawl slowly back and forth through the day.

“Who is that woman?” Calypso bites into her food hesitantly. She stares at it, before practically vacuuming it with her mouth. “Her statue is everywhere.”

“That, _mi amiga_ ,” Leo smacks his lips. “Is the Virgin Mary. Italy’s pretty big on Catholicism nowadays. I think there’s some kind of holiday going on.”

Calypso rips a piece of Leo’s _focaccia_. “And what happened to the statues of Minerva and Diana? Where are those?”

“No clue, princess. Speaking of,” Leo licks his fingers. “Do you have some hot Roman goddess concealed under all that sweetness?”

Calypso glares.

“Sorry, I meant under all that bitterness.”

“No.” Calypso shrugs. “I think the Romans had forgotten about me while I was on that island. I don’t mind, though, it must be painful to have two people splitting your head.”

“Nah, I have Pipes and Jay in my head all the time.” Leo snorts. “Jay always tells me not to do the stuff I do anyway, and Pipes encourages me all the time.”

Calypso stares at him for a considerable amount of time before laughing. “You, Leo Valdez, sure are something.”

“You know it, sweet cheeks.”

* * *

 Festus’ motors are filled with sand, by the time Leo’s gotten to them.

“ _Dios Mio_ , what have they done to you?” Leo rubs a reassuring hand against Festus’s head. “ _Papa’s_ here, Papa’s here. _Papa_  will never hurt you like they did.”

Festus creaks out a response, that has Leo’s ears burning red.

“What’s happening?” Calypso inquires.

Leo puts out his flaming cheeks and knocks his fist against one of the golden wings. “Just Festus being inappropriate. If Hazel was here, she would faint.”

“The Pluto child.”

“Yessiree.”

Calypso rolls back her shoulders and tosses back her braid. It’s kind of hot. She cracks her knuckles and waves a screwdriver around. “Ready to get to fixing your beast.”

Leo would be lying if he didn’t think that was hot. Calypso had changed out her clothes from earlier after a brief shopping trip through Lido San Giovanni. She had replaced her previous outfit with a t-shirt naming some European indie band Leo’s never heard of, tucked into a pair of comfortable high-waisted jeans. She used to have some kind of red and black button down, put that was tied around her waist.

Yeah, Leo definitely thinks Calypso’s hot, but-

Festus gives a warning huff, and Leo laughs. “No need to get all jealous buddy, I’m not gonna let her screw you up. She won’t even breathe near you.”

Calypso throws a nut at Leo. “How long is it going to take you to repair him?”

“An hour or two. Depends.” Leo presses his hand into Festus’ neck to pull out the control panel. “If my man over here has some of the salt water in him, it might take longer to get rid of any glitches.”

Calypso frowns, rubbing her arms. She leans against Festus, trying to absorb some of his heat. “How much is ‘longer’?”

Leo shrugs and turns to dig the end of his hammer into the splits between the golden metallic scales. “Longer.” He doesn’t want to worry her and tell her that it will definitely take a lot longer than the hour or two planned.

He can feel Calypso’s glare tingling at the back of his neck. “You can see if your magic is back. Or maybe go and get us some more food for the ride.” He suggests.

Calypso doesn’t say much after that, and for a second Leo thinks she’s left but when he takes a step backward, he nearly stumbles over her sitting form. Her eyes are squeezed in concentration, and Leo has to physically push her over to keep her out of his way.

It leaves him with nothing but the ocean waves, the distant laughter far down the beach, and his own thoughts. Festus whirs quietly under his tinkering.

“Don’t worry, buddy.” Leo pats the shell. “We’ll be getting home soon enough.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *cough* timey wimey stuff always screws people over *cough*


	6. JASON

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whatever its still the 3rd of the month in my timezone, so technically im good shutupao3withyourstupidchoiceintimezones
> 
> tbe, to be edited due to the rush. i havent had much energy or interest in doing much lately  
>  ~~when you awkwardly remember hippogriffs are super cool in harry potter but you really are in a rush because originally the first creature you had doesn't have any type of greek origins~~  
>  ISWEARIMTRYINGTOAVOIDPUNSTHESEAREACCIDENTS
> 
> commentsarenice but honestly thanks for being great enough to even read youguysaresosweet

Percy’s the only one who seems even remotely interested in the food that sits in front of them. The choice of the pizza shop was only a reminder that Nico’s probably bubbling with as much anger as the bubbling cheese stuffing itself into Percy’s mouth.

“Ish goof.” Percy mumbles happily,  chewing with his mouth slightly open. His elbows hit the table, splashing soda onto the tabletop.

Will sweeps it up automatically, like he has been doing for the past twenty minutes. His blue eyes shift over to Jason.

Jason’s hands were still folded over his chest, with his own eyes focused on the glittery ball resting in front of him. He’s been staring at it ever since the trio sat down, and it didn’t look like his gaze was going to move from it.

“You ok, bro?” Percy wipes his mouth with the back of his hand. “You’ve been all weird since we left Hades.”

Will kicks him in the shin. “ _Percy!_ ”

Jason clears his throat. “What if it’s hopeless? You guys heard what Persephone said- that we won’t find him.”

“What if we do?” Will frowns, his forehead crinkling. “There’s a chance that we will.”

“And even if we _don’t_ ,” Percy sips Sprite through a dark blue straw, “there are still other ways to look.”

Jason considers this and nods slowly. Okay.

His knuckles are white as he clasps the small ball and shakes it. Will nods. “Say Leo’s name.”

“Leo.” Jason shakes the orb harder. “Leo Valdez.” _We’re going to bring you home buddy._

At first, nothing really happens when Jason places the small item on the table. And then it spins around, faster than anything Jason has ever seen. It’s fast enough that it becomes a blur until _zing!_

It’s gone.

“What the _heck?”_ Percy spits out soda and frantically wipes his face and stained shirt. “Where’d it go?”

Jason slumps over in the booth. His hands clench. “Maybe it’s supposed to do that.”

Will looks over at Jason with a pitiful look in his eyes. Jason doesn’t want that. He doesn’t _want_ pity. “We can search for another way, Jason.”

“Yeah,” Percy’s eyes flicker to the window. “It looks like it’s getting dark, but we can still see if we can get to Camp. I’ll call Blackjack if you want.”

Jason’s ready to respond, but then his head gets hit with an onslaught of images. It’s a crushing feeling- pictures of the color blue swimming around, and the moon at night. Suddenly it switches to a crowd, with flashes of colors and statues. It’s going by so fast, that his head feels like it’s _actually_ spinning.

“ _Youknowit,sweetcheeks._ ”

And then Jason sees it. It’s a flash of curly hair, and bread being waved around, but it sends a warm feeling down. As quick as it comes, it’s replaced with gold flickers.

He feels sand in between his toes.

“ _Don’tworry,buddy.We’llbegettinghomesoonenough_.”

Then the pictures slam to a stop, and Jason cries out in pain.

“Jason!” Will’s standing in front of him, and shining a light in his eyes. “Can you hear me? Your eyes are dilating, and your nose is bleeding.”

“Yeah,” Jason pushes the other blond away. His hand feels warm, and when he opens it, the orb glitters prettily in his palm. He lifts it up. “Look.”

“It’s beeping,” Percy notes, bending over the table to stare. “There’s a red dot. Holy Hera, Persephone gave us a bomb.”

“40, 3, 17, 59.” Will scribbles on a napkin. He rips part of the napkin to clean up the blood dripping from Jason's nose. “Coordinates?”

“But how do we get there?” Jason runs a hand through his hair. He doesn’t really care how he gets there, just that he gets there in the first place. Although finding his lost friend would be more appealing sooner than later.

“Boat?” Percy helpfully suggests. “Fish ponies?”

“What are fish ponies?” Will asks curiously, causing the son of Poseidon to spout off about the miracles of _hippocampi_.

Jason didn’t really want to go in the water. He had already been pushed outside of his domain when going into the Underworld, and the entire time he was feeling uncomfortable and on the edge. Percy wouldn’t have minded the _hippocampus_ , but Jason definitely would. The idea of being surrounded by water for an unknown time made Jason swallow.

“How do you know we need to cross water? For all we know, these coordinates lead to Ohio.” Jason folds the napkin neatly. He rolls the orb into its casing, and the lid snaps closed, locking once more.

“Dude,” Percy rolls his eyes. “I just _know_. Son of the seas and all that? Not just a title.”

“Alright,” Jason says. “But flying might be faster.”

“Or not.” Percy frowns. “Fish ponies are really fast.”

“Tempest is one of the fastest animals I know.”

Percy snorts. “He doesn’t even like you.”

Jason’s cheeks burn. “He’s still fast and dependable. At times.”

“At times.” Percy puffs out his cheeks, before deflating them. “It’s fine, I guess- I get the whole not wanting to be in water again. Anyway, Blackjack’s always ready to help. Even if he won’t stop calling me Boss. And even if Tempest makes him uncomfortable.”

Tempest makes most uncomfortable, and sometimes even the blond is a little cautious.

Jason doesn’t mention this.

Will nods, and slams his hand on the table, scaring off the poor waiter who was bringing a check. The bill clatters to the ground, as Will smiles brightly. “It’s decided then.”

“We need a GPS or something though,” Percy mumbles, taking a final sip. “Also, do you guys have any money? All I have are diamonds and rubies.”

Will’s quick to respond. “I can’t believe you actually stole from Hades. No wonder practically every god has wanted to kill you. You’re an actual daredevil.”

Percy shrugs. “College is expensive.”

Jason stuffs his hand in his pocket, and his hand crumples the napkin. He clears his throat. “Guys. Let’s go, before it gets late.”

Will and Percy nod fervently.

“No, but seriously. Do any of you have money? I _only_ took diamonds and rubies.”

* * *

 

They leave a diamond and just assume the waiter would be extremely happy with the generous tip.

Wind rushes into Jason’s face and streaks through his hair. For a moment he feels _alive_ , and completely connected to everything. He feels at home, and it’s amazing.

Percy ruins it, not much to Jason’s surprise.

“Uh, Grace? How far are we?” Percy’s yell is barely heard with the whistling wind.

“A couple of hours,” Jason mumbles, burying his head into Tempest’s stormy neck. The spirit had been quiet ever since he was called upon (for the fifth time- the horse didn’t come the first few times, to which Percy had not-so-subtly coughed, _unreliable,_ and Jason not-so-accidentally shocked him). “Then we’ll find Leo, and everything will go back to normal.”

The funny thing is, Jason doesn’t know what normal consists of. His memories of meeting Leo and Piper in Wilderness weren’t exactly _his_ , and all other times, the trio were practically running for their lives. The only other time he could think of, was when the Argo had yet to be built, but even then, Leo had shut himself away from everyone else.

Jason was no exception.

Jason sighs. Up ahead is just the vast Atlantic. Underneath him is the vast Atlantic. Behind is just the _vast Atlantic._ It’s getting a bit tiring, and Jason wouldn’t have minded a change of scenery.

His minded floats back to the Argo. At the time, Jason had never gotten the chance to explore it further, and he could only imagine what sort of amazing things Leo had built. But now, the Argo’s destroyed and all of Leo and his cabin’s hard work went down the drain.

Right now, he more than anything wishes for that ship.

“ _JASON!”_ Jason blinks to attention, and pushes his head away from a static mane. Behind him, Percy is on Blackjack, sword out and ready. Riding next to Blackjack is a frazzled looking Will on a brown mare by the name of Sugardrop. The son of Apollo held a bow and arrow, even when he claimed he wasn’t particularly too good with it.

Jason frowns, before swinging his head forward as Tempest rode on faster. Faster and faster, right into what looked like a storm of birds. Gigantic birds.

Jason cringes as he tramples through the flock. The animals were fast, but the were definitely the same size as Jason’s own horse. Considering they were horses who had gigantic eagle wings and heads.

“Jason!” Percy calls out again. His sword is slashing around at anything that came close to him. “What are these things?”

An arrow whizzes past Jason, nearly slicing his ear off. The arrow hits one of the creatures, and it lets out a loud screech. The noise sends the demigods covering their ears.

Jason’s ears are ringing but he can barely make out what Will is yelling through the sound of beating wings. “They’re _hippogriffs_! They’re not evil if I can remember, but get scared easily. They travel in packs of thousands when they migrate, but don’t kill off so many, they’re kind of rare!”

Percy curses. “You tell me this _after_ , I’ve been slicing them all!?”

“They’re not attacking.” Will states, galloping forward. His horse is almost in stride with Jason’s. Percy does the same, flanking Jason’s left side.

Jason hasn’t been attacked once yet. “I think they’re scared of Tempest.”

“Who isn’t,” Percy mutters dryly, which the other two ignore.

Will waves his hand to keep his pegasus’ mane from flying into his face. “They don’t like the whole _storm_ part of _storm spirit._ ”

A hippogriff flies a little too close to Jason, it’s hooves brushing dangerously close to his cheek. Jason swears and pulls out his gladius. His hands brush against the box holding the orb.

“Jason, watch _out_!” Percy shoves the blond when he sees a flap of a wing that was close enough to hit the distant son of Jupiter.

Unfortunately, Percy doesn’t understand his own strength, sending Jason flying off Tempest. He plummets through a flurry of panicking hippogriffs, who try speeding past the descending teen.

Jason has enough sense to try to summon enough air to steady himself.

“ _If I fall, you’re catching me.”_

_“You’re catching me, too, Superman. But I ain’t holding your hand.”_

Jason stumbles a bit but manages to catch himself midair. And then comes the flying hooves that hit him in the head.

His sight blurs, as his glasses drop to the Ocean, and he starts seeing dark spots in the sky. Above, the sun was getting lower, painting the sky with streaks of reds and oranges. He can hear Will and Percy yelling for him, and the pack of hippogriffs slowing down to a small trickle.

  
And then his vision goes black as he falls out the sky.


	7. JASON

He’s pretty sure he’s asleep.

Jason finds himself on the concrete pavement, staring up at the people who pass by. Clothes and languages fly by as he pulls himself up.

“This is weird.” He mumbles, pushing past a family. He doesn’t know where he is going but his body is being pulled towards  _something_ , like a magnet. It’s just this sense of feeling and _knowing_. His chest feels warm.

When he steps off the street curb, a car runs through him. It only slightly tickles but it’s still weird. The little girl who went through him felt like air. Jason continues walking, and he doesn’t have to worry about walking into people since he can literally  _walk into people_.

Something in his body sends him spinning right, and he’s standing in front of a clothing store. He slides inside, and his chest burns hot.

In the corner of the small store is a hand-painted DRESSING ROOM sign. He sees someone standing there in the corner just waiting. Jason frowns because he can’t really see them due to the dim lighting. Then the other person turns around, and Jason blinks.

“Leo?”

Leo squints at Jason but doesn’t quite see him. The younger boy spins back around and taps his foot. “Hurry up, Sunshine!”

“Stop calling me that.” A girl calls from the other side of the dressing room. Jason reaches out to touch Leo’s shoulder, and it drifts through the back of the dirty shirt to the front. Leo shudders, and Jason’s chest feels like it’s literally on fire. It’s like the flames are eating him from the inside out and it  _burns_.

He steps back as Leo runs a hand through his hair. “Seriously, _chica_ , we need to hurry up. I think we’re still being followed.”

Jason glances around. He doesn’t see anyone, except for the irritated cashier eyeing the clock closely. The pimple-laden teen’s grumbling on about  _almuerzo_ , and  _comida_ , which Jason doesn’t have the slightest clue about.

Leo knocks on the dressing room door. “Hurry up princess, we can get you new clothes later.”

“I wasn’t the one who spilled food on it.”

“I said I was  _sorry_ , didn’t I? Touchy.” Leo slumps against the door. He’s pouting and whining about a _stupid island goddess who doesn’t have any idea how long she’s taking with trying on clothes_ and  _it wasn’t his fault chili stained_. Jason’s lungs are set aflame when he feels Leo’s familiar whines.

“Leo? Where are you, I-” Jason’s voice is cut off when Leo’s head swings towards him.

“Son of Jupiter.” Jason blinks as the small clothing store dissipates like mist. He’s sitting at a table at some kind of floral wedding. Besides him, a woman with cropped black hair and blue eyes smiles at the couple whose attention were only on each other.

“Aren’t they lovely?” She sighs, and it feels like love and kisses. “Honestly, to think all they needed was a bit of a _push_ from me.” Her fingers smooth her dress out.

“Aphrodite.” Jason acknowledges. He feels uncomfortable sitting in at a wedding for some people he’s never met. He feels like he’s intruding on something personal. The groom is a nervous looking satyr and he keeps fixing his hair, and the bride is a beautiful and happy looking nymph with wide hips and kind smile. They look happy as they dance together, but Jason still thinks it’s weird to sit there. To make it worse, his chest aches and his head’s ringing loudly.

The goddess raises an eyebrow, and Jason corrects himself.

“Venus. Where am I?”

“Jason Grace.” Venus tucks a hair behind her ear and grabs Jason’s hand. Her hand squeezes a bit too hard.“Would you like to dance?”

Jason spins her towards the center and follows her steps. He’s not a dancer and literally hasn’t danced in  _months_. The last time he danced was at some dumb sleepover idea Percy had on the Argo, where everyone danced to Britney Spears.

Jason grits his teeth, as he took another step. The goddess in his arms is a bit taller than him with her heels, so she has to bend down to whisper in his ear. “You’re so tense. You are definitely the worrier out of your group of friends.”

Jason’s figure slumps, as Venus rests her arms on his shoulders. Slow-dancing with a goddess wasn’t exactly one of his priorities right now. He would admit that having Venus in his arms vs Piper is two different feelings. Venus feels _so_ warm and nice. It’s a really familiar feeling-

“How is your trip?” Venus stares down by a few inches. Her eyes went from blue to a warm brown. “I see you’re making some progress.”

“We’re looking for Leo.” Jason’s hands bunch up the woman’s dress at her hips. “I haven’t seen him since he blew up. Nico told me he’s alive.”

“We or I, us or me?” Venus says.

“What?” Jason frowns.

“Tell me this,” Venus leans in. “Do you think you’re a selfish person?”

“No, of course not.” Jason steps away and claps for the end of the song. The love goddess grabs his hand harshly, pulling him into another dance. He follows cautiously.

“Then why are you doing this? Chasing your friend, that is.” Venus’s short black hair grows a bit longer until it reaches her ears. It curls a bit.“You must have a reason.”

Jason twirls her, before swallowing. “Leo’s my friend. My best friend.”

“Is that all?” Venus raises an eyebrow. Her brown eyes stare into Jason, and his head hurts even more. The music seems too loud and the other occupants of the wedding party seem to happy and joyous. It’s too much.

His world spins around him. Jason feels dizzy and very nauseous.

“In all respect, Lady Venus, can I sit down?” He tries to stay polite. He lets go of her waist to pull at his blue tie and undo the first couple of buttons. He hardly even realized he was wearing a tux, the blue of his tie matching the goddess’ dress.

“Of course. But first,” She looks like she’s up to no good, brown eyes looking too familiar and mischievous. Jason has to look down at her, which is strange because wasn’t she taller a few minutes earlier? “Can I get a kiss goodbye?”

Jason obliges because he’s tired and he wants to leave. The love goddess is about as confusing as almost every other god Jason has encountered so far.

Jason leans down to kiss her cheek, and in the second where his lips make contact, she swings her head. Jason’s never exactly kissed a goddess on the lips before- much less the goddess of love but he doesn’t think it should be this great.

When he pushes back, his eyes open and Venus isn’t there.

Leo is.

“Wha-”

Leo holds up a hand, but when he speaks it’s Venus’ voice. “You need your rest, son of Jupiter. I give you luck on your quest. May you find what you are looking for.”

Leo/Venus leans up and gives a tiny peck to Jason’s cheek. Jason stumbles back, and his headache hits him hard. He feels the burning pain in his chest.

Everything fades to black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BET YOU THOUGHT I FORGOT THIS WAS VALGRACE


	8. updates // not a chapter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> hey there guys gals and genderneutral pals

**tb:** Don't worry kids the story isn't dead it just went to the farm :)

(I'm kidding I think)

Hello!

Some of you might be wondering "why haven't you updated in 3 and a half months? are you okay?"  
Others might be asking "what the literal fuck I've been waiting forever"  
Others, still, might be pondering "why aren't you rotting in hell somewhere?"

We're fine. I think.  
Lots of stuff has been happening! the school year is ending and stress is not ending :) the result of that being, of course, that neither of us has really felt up to updating this :( sorry.

HOWEVER, FEAR NOT O SMALL ONES  
(I've been reading too much Shakespeare I'm sorry)

Both of us are doing things! AppleJuice is still pretty regularly updating [isosceles](http://archiveofourown.org/works/9593147/chapters/21682982) and tacobella has a one-shot coming out fairly soon, so? Yes.

Sorry again.  
Love you lots <3

* * *

 

 **aj:** Not much to say, besides previously expressed. In the meantime, I'm editing the past chapters to make everything smoother! Pause shouldn't last too long, definitely not a year but definitely not less than a month. Tbh, I'm always posting crap so like that's that whoops.

Idk, in the meantime, go check out more Valgrace fics.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading, kudos are appreciated, comments would almost always get a response, and just reading is simply great!
> 
> have a good day :)


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